Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 listed onlineXiaomi Redmi Note 5 specifications have been leaked once again via an online listing in China. This time, it was Oppomart that put up the listing, showing the phone will have a 5.99-inch full-HD+ (1080×2160 pixel) display with 18:9 aspect ratio, Android 7.1 Nougat software, Snapdragon 625 SoC, 12-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel selfie shooter, and 4000mAh battery. Redmi Note 5 is said to come in two variants, one with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage, and another with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage.

The company also announced today that it will discontinue software support for six ageing Xiaomi smartphones. This list includes Mi 2/2S, Mi 4i, Redmi Note 4G, Redmi 2, Redmi 2 Prime, and the Mi Note, and these handsets will not get updates after MIUI 9.

Xiaomi Mi A1 Rose Gold variant in India, new device coming soonThe Chinese brand also released the Rose Gold variant of the Mi A1 Android One smartphone in India today. It will go on sale in India on Tuesday, November 21 at 12:01am via Mi.com and Flipkart, along with Mi Home stores, Mi Preferred Partner stores, and retail partner stores. The price of the new Rose Gold model is the same as that of the Black and Gold options, Rs. 14,999. Specifications of the Mi A1 also remain the same, with the smartphone featuring a 5.5-inch full-HD screen, octa-core Snapdragon 625 processor, 4GB of RAM, Android 7.1.2 Nougat software, dual 12-megapixel rear cameras, 5-megapixel front camera, 64GB internal storage, up to 128GB microSD card support, and 3080mAh battery.

Xiaomi India Head Manu Kumar Jain also hinted on Twitter at the launch of a new device, simply teasing the letter ‘i’. There are four dots on the letter instead of one, with the top three coloured saffron, white and green, the colours of the Indian flag. For now, it isn’t clear whether the new device is a smartphone but we can expect to get more clarity in the coming weeks.

Apple to launch dual-SIM iPhone next year?KGI Securities Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has reportedly said in a research note that Apple plans to launch iPhone models with dual SIM support in 2018. The company is working towards supporting two LTE networks on the device, unlike the LTE + 3G setup of most dual SIM phones. It is said to be looking to tap Intel for 70-80 percent of its baseband chip requirements to deliver faster connectivity compared to Qualcomm chips. Another report says Apple is opting for a 5G modem, though the 5G-capable iPhones are unlikely to debut next year and will hit the market some other time.

Nokia 2 launched in the US at $99Nokia 2, the entry-level smartphone that’s said to have battery life of 2 days, has been launched in the US via Amazon.com. Unveiled in India and first released in Russia, the Nokia 2 has been priced at $99 (about Rs. 6,500) as an unlocked handset that is compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile networks; it is not yet clear whether it will support other operators in the US, such as Sprint and Verizon. Though it was unveiled in India, it is yet to become available here, and the local price tag also remains a mystery. Key features of Nokia 2 include 4100mAh battery, Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS, Snapdragon 212 SoC, 1GB of RAM, 8-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front camera, and 8GB storage with microSD support up to 128GB.

Samsung working on improving Galaxy S9 iris scanner to beat Face IDFace ID is among the big highlights of iPhone X, and to nobody’s surprise, Samsung is said to be working to improve its own facial recognition technology to beat Apple’s. The South Korean company is reportedly not looking to make any hardware upgrade in the iris scanner’s setup, and is instead working on reducing delays in recognising users’ faces and scanning their irises via software tweaks. The upcoming Galaxy S9 may have a setup similar to that of iPhone X’s TrueDepth to deliver face recognition experience similar to that of the new Apple flagship’s.

OnePlus 3, OnePlus 3T get Android Oreo-based OxygenOS updateOnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T will soon get the OxygenOS 5.0 build, based on Android 8.0 Oreo. The two phones will start receiving the update from Sunday as an OTA update. Among the new features the OxygenOS 5.0 update brings to the 2016 flagships are Picture in Picture mode, auto-fill, smart text selection, Parallel Apps and a new Quick settings design. In terms of the OnePlus Launcher, OxygenOS 5.0 gets new notification dots, refreshed app folder design, and the option to upload photos directly to Shot on OnePlus.

Google Pixel 2 buzzing sound issue to be fixed with upcoming updateGoogle has announced that the Pixel 2 issue that causes the phone to create a slight buzzing sound when placed next to users’ ears during a call is being fixed. The fix will be issued via a software update in the coming weeks. Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have been bombarded with complaints over niggling issues, which Google has acknowledged.

In a bit of good news for owners, Google has started rolling out Lens visual search feature for the first batch of Pixel and Pixel 2 smartphones. Integrated in Google Assistant, it can recognise things like addresses and books, among others. In the Photos app, Lens can be activated while looking at an image or a screenshot. The feature will also be added to camera and other apps in the future.